A new vibration signal processing method for gearbox fault detection

In this paper, a new vibration signal processing method, an adaptive narrow-band interference cancellation is developed to remove the periodic signals and background noises from the vibration signals. Narrow-band interference cancellation techniques are widely applied in signal processing of communication systems to remove the narrow-band interferences. The vibration signals of a gearbox with a damaged gear tooth contain periodic signals of both the healthy gear teeth and shaft. The periodic signals could be treated as narrowband interferences to the impulse signals of the damaged gear tooth and the background noises. The impulse signals are usually buried in the interference signals and background noises. To reveal the impulse signals for gear fault detection, the periodic signals and the noises should be removed. To cope with the dynamic interference of the vibration signals, an adaptive algorithm is incorporated in the narrow-band interference cancellation techniques. A case study with seeded gear fault tests is used to show the effectiveness of the developed method.